Brief Summary:
In the beginning of chapter 4, Jurgis starts his new job of sweeping the entrails of slaughtered cattle through trapdoors, earning two dollars for every 12 hours. Marija also gets a job where she gets two dollars each day by painting labels on cans. Jurigs forbids his children, especially Stanislosas, from working because he wants them to go through school. While Jurgis and Marija have gotten jobs, and Jonas has a good possibility for a job, Dede Antanas feels that he is a burden because he can’t get a job.
The family sees an advertisement in the paper for homes for $1500, and Ona, Marija, and Teta Elzbieta visit the real estate agent who tells them that the homes are selling quickly, which they learn is not true when they go to visit the house. The house also does not look as nice as it did in the paper; the basement and attic aren’t finished. This real estate scam is an attack on capitalism by Upton Sinclair. When they buy the house, the deed refers to it as a rental. The lawyer tells them that it is just a rental until it is completely paid for. It is also easier to make evictions when the monthly payments are not made, which benefits the corporation.
Passages:
"Out of some she had been ordered with curses.... in the end, however, she had reaped her reward" (45).
"He had come to America as full of hope... problem that worried his son" (46).
"After a discover... shut their eyes to other defects" (50).
"They felt that all was lost... the reading of their death warrant" (53).
"So they went home.... trembling in every nerve" (54-55).
In the beginning of chapter 4, Jurgis starts his new job of sweeping the entrails of slaughtered cattle through trapdoors, earning two dollars for every 12 hours. Marija also gets a job where she gets two dollars each day by painting labels on cans. Jurigs forbids his children, especially Stanislosas, from working because he wants them to go through school. While Jurgis and Marija have gotten jobs, and Jonas has a good possibility for a job, Dede Antanas feels that he is a burden because he can’t get a job.
The family sees an advertisement in the paper for homes for $1500, and Ona, Marija, and Teta Elzbieta visit the real estate agent who tells them that the homes are selling quickly, which they learn is not true when they go to visit the house. The house also does not look as nice as it did in the paper; the basement and attic aren’t finished. This real estate scam is an attack on capitalism by Upton Sinclair. When they buy the house, the deed refers to it as a rental. The lawyer tells them that it is just a rental until it is completely paid for. It is also easier to make evictions when the monthly payments are not made, which benefits the corporation.
Characters:
Jurgis, Jonas, Marija, Teta Elzbieta, Una, Dede Antanas, Jokubas
Passages:
"Out of some she had been ordered with curses.... in the end, however, she had reaped her reward" (45).
"He had come to America as full of hope... problem that worried his son" (46).
"After a discover... shut their eyes to other defects" (50).
"They felt that all was lost... the reading of their death warrant" (53).
"So they went home.... trembling in every nerve" (54-55).